New vintage speedsters seats

I'm going to replace the interior in my CMC and was going to get new seats from vintage speedsters. They said that they now have a new design that is different than the ones in the pictures on their websight. Is there anyone out there with the new seats? I wonder if they are .........better suited to a 36 inch waist. I guess I liked the look of the old vintage seats, they looked a little more forgiving than the slotted CMC speedster seats. Pictures of the new seats anyone?

Chuck I have a tan set on my 2003 VS. Not sure if the type you are looking for. It's quite good on the long drive. I'm looking to trade for a tan set with headrest if they happen to come up.

From what I understand Chuck; there's only two types of seats; the old original "Spyder" style and the standard issue which is more padded; there's lots of photos of those seats in members' files. Just do a search of VS owners in this site and look into their photo files; more often than not VS's are equipped with the more comfortable ones so you're bound to find photos of those seats immediately.

Richard, VS actually produces a third type - they are in my 03, and they are just like Mel's (his pictures are better than mine). They have the same basic style as the original Speedster seats, but are much more padded. Mine are black leather, and very comfortabe. Having said that, I'm young and stupid so I'll take style over comfort. Does anyone know if there is an original-style slotted shell under all of this padding? Or, does anyone have a very nice black pair of slotted Speedster or Spyder-stlye seats that they would like to trade for something more comfortable? My seats have a whopping 1,900 miles on them and are in perfect condition.

Brian I believe yours are the better padded ones; somewhat in the original style without the slots but definitely more comfortable.

Richard, these are the ones that I thought were the most padded. They may actually be like mine, but just upholstered differtently. I test drove a VS with seats like this and they seemed a little wider, flatter, and more padded.
Brian

Now I see; the other ones are different altogether; at least yours have some resemblance to the originals....

Thanks everyone, but I think think that there may be slotted seats available from VS. I'll call them tomorrow and maybe have them look at this websight and tell me if there is a different seat. I do like your black leather seats, so if you are going for the slotted spyder style, let me know. i'll buy yours.

Chuck, The Roadster pictured above are not "period correct" or model correct for Speedsters.

There is a difference between roadster seats and speedster seats. I suggest you do a word search on "fibersteel" which is a company in Irwindale California that specializes in aftermarket early Speedster aftermarket stuff. Their slotted "Speedster" seats are displayed on their site. The advances in padding materials and construciton make these seats far more comfortable than the original Speadster seats.

Roadster seats may be you best option if you are a fat ass that plans 10 hours, or more, in the cockpit. But, so far, I've found my fibersteel fiberglass framed seats very comfortable for drives up to eight hours.

Very tacky statement Bill. And incorrect. There are are some original Speedsters with Roadster seats. For one recent example see the summer issue of the 356 Registry Magazine for a black Speedster, one owner, all original, that came with Roadster seats. I believe the owner drove it to the Holiday in Canada this year. This is 356 trivia and I wouldn't even post this useless info had it not been for your crappy statement about 8 hours vs, 10 hours, etc.

Besides, I would not call the seats pictured above "Roadster Seats". They are very attractive and probably a good choice for many owners, but they are not Roadster 'style' seats. They appear to be a mod/improvement on the VS cut down style seats.

On my VS I had both the cut downs and Speedster style seats. I prefered VS's cutdowns for the miles I logged with my large butt in the saddle. I considered using the Speedster seats up until I hit 8 hours on the road, and then pulling the Cut-Downs off the luggage Rack and changing them out before I broke the Bill George Official 10 hour fat ass barrier, but I did not think having extra seats on the luggage rack was period correct.

To each their own.....

Sorry about the hijack folks. I just couldn't resist the urge.

I betcha my fat ass is bigger than your fat ass.

Hello, my name is Dale and I have a fat ass. I have roadster seats in my Speedster. There, I feel better now.

The seats pictured above are wider and may for some be more comfortable for trips than the "traditional" speedster seats but I wouldn't call them "roadster seats" in a strict sense.

And Bill, according to several 356 Registry members/authorities on speedsters, approximately 1/2 of the speedsters delivered were delivered with the roadster seat. Most of those were the 1958 model year. It seems that most of those buyers found the original Porsche Speedster seats to be uncomfortable. Therefore, approximately 1/2 of the buyers of original speedsters were "fat-assed".

Bruce, you may lose that bet after my winter of unlimited cheetos binges, a new TV, and a remote that controls everything but the pizza delivery. :-)

Dale, thanks for the factual info, and your coolness my friend.

George, feel free to call me Ward.

Gee, I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. It smells, like... like victory!

WoW, When I bought this basket case CMC and started asking questions I was a little shy. I guess a 51 year old guy with a big ass will fit right in. I called VS today and talked to Kirk about the seats. He said the new seats do have the slots in the back and are a little wider than the slotted CMC seats. I sure would like to hear from someone with a new VS and maybe a picture.

Jim..
your seat setup looks great!! As far as your remote goes...does it have the "fresh draft beer on tap" button?

Michael

PEOPLE OF EARTH!!!

Jimbo - you may have noticed on another thread that Vince and I had commented about getting our fat asses out of our Speedy's. The effort I exert to get my fat ass out of our Speedy (slotted seats) results in a noise that sounds like someone just "stepped on a duck"! Not quite the sensory impact of napalm, but close(I'm sure the RVN's would argue that!)!

Chuck - welcome to the fray, I mean fraternity of SOC brotherhood!

Chuck, my car is a 2004; these are my seats.....

Ricardo, I think this is the picture I was looking for, Thanks, they look great and I will still be able to drink beer ...When I'm not driving. This car has a real story behind it. Maybe someday when everybody is bored we can find out who has the most interesting story of how they became a speedster owner.

Chuck=good thought

Although my post above was called tacky and inaccurate, in the final analysis both Jim-Bob Ward and Dale Bates seem to agree, it was their broad posteriors that made them choose what they call

Why not just use 356 Coupe seats? Really comfy, and period correct and easily recovered in any color vinyl/leather using one of the kits from the regular suppliers of 356 stuff?

Maybe?

Grizzled does not necessarily equal nasty. If there is one thing I've learned in the few years that I've read this site, it's that if one of us asks for the for the fabled "nasty icon", we're probably not going to get it.

All kidding aside - Bill, that car of yours if FREAKING GEORGEOUS! The quality of work really shows.

Bill,
Submitted photos must be in a high quality format, that can be printed 11x9. That means at least 150dpi, original jpgs, 11x9 inches or larger. Your photos were nowhere close to that size. But, next years calendar is fast approaching.
-=theron

Brian, Thank you for your very kind compliment. Many people have mentioned my Speedster's beauty and outstanding fit and finish. Some have even mentioned how unfortunate it was that none of the photos I submitted for the 2006 Speedster calendar weren't used. There must have been a problem though, I notice some cars appeared more than once, and that they also had to use a Roadster or two to fill-up the twelve featured spaces. (Because my Speedster was "show winner" I thought the calendar would be a slam-dunk?) For a closer look, click

http://home.earthlink.net/~wtg-stuff/356%20Speedster%20Specs.htm

Theron: Rather than further sidetrack this string I will reply to your last message on the Site / Club Enhancements Forum on the 2006 Calendar String.

Bill is correct. There were no "Roadster" seats before 1959. I apologize for such poor information and disseminating that information on SOC.

Approximately 1/2 of the later speedsters (late '57 and '58) were ordered/optioned/delivered with COUPE seats. That seems high to me, but that is what I got when I posed the question to the Registry. Dr. Thiriar is one expert and one source. His coffee table book is full of information. There are others equally and perhaps more qualified. Everyone has their favorite(s).

I do have "Roadster" Seats not "coupe" seats. Intermeccanica constructs the seat for their Roadster, Convertable D replica, not for a coupe. By the way, I have sat in these seats for 8-9 hour trips and, I guess because of my fat ass, was very comfortable for the entire trip.

Jim, or as you may call him Ward, has "speedster" seats in his car. Bill, (or is it George? I am a bit confused about this) you can tell by the shape of the seat. The "Roadster" or "Coupe" seats are flatter and wider, and the back (although this is not "shape") reclines. "Speedster" seats are similar to what is in your Beautiful, with outstanding fit and finish car that did not make the calendar. Your seats look nice. Perhaps your photo composition was "off".

Enjoy your car, Bill. That is really what it is all about, isn't it.

Thank you once again for the informative post Dale.

I am still looking for the 8,000-10,000 mile George "Calendar Boy" Barrier in the Doctor's book. I am afraid to drive until I get this straight. Maybe If I send you a high resolution Photo you could measure my seats by the BG-DPI method and tell me if you think I should change my seats to Roadster seats after I pass 8,000 miles.

Also, let me know if you would like me to submit the high resolution Photos below of us driving long distances for the '07 calendar. I am sure we took the right size and resolution while driving 80 Mph, with one hand, and chewing gum at the same time.

Thanks again Dale.

Your Friend, Jim

I'm sure the truck driver wondered what you boys were up to.
ed

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